


Shadows

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 03:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15940631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: For prompt fill #49:charmed





	Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> For prompt fill #49:charmed

 

There was nothing like a near-death experience to make you want your own bed. And since they’d all had their share of those over the past day or so, Emiri decided they deserved a break. Just a few days in Caed Nua for various injuries to heal up, and for some--like her--to get some distance from close calls with the Usher. Honestly, Emiri half-expected to see the Pallid Knight on the road, shaking her head in disapproval and beckoning for the Watcher to come with her.

“Hey, ‘Miri, you alright?” Sagani’s question jostled Emiri out of her reverie.

“Just... sore,” Emiri lied, slowly rolling her shoulder as if to test it. The still-healing burn tugged slightly in resistance. “Looking forward to a hot bath and a long rest.”

“Aren’t we all?” Kana interjected with a chuckle. He was barely limping anymore, which was good. Emiri was the only one tall enough to offer him any real support, and with her shoulder burned, it was tricky to help him without hurting her. Edér had tried to help, but he was just a little too short.

“Side effect of being on the road so long,” she replied to distract herself from _that_ train of thought. “I think we’d be looking forward to it even if that damn drake _hadn’t_ nearly been the end of half of us.”

“You’re probably right,” he said still grinning. “Comfortable as some inns are--especially now that we’ve the coin for decent rooms--there’s nothing quite like your own bed.”

“Something I know better than most,” Emiri agreed softly. “And a bonus for me, the Watcher dreams aren’t usually as bad in Caed Nua.”

“That is a nice bonus,” Kana nodded. “They seem to be getting worse, recently, so I’m glad there’s somewhere you can get a reprieve.”

She smiled, heart fluttering, despite her exhaustion. “Thanks, Kana.”

He winked cheerily. “You’re welcome.”

They fell back into amicable silence after that, though Emiri caught Sagani watching her with concern a time or two. Probably not entirely buying her claim to just be sore. But even if it wasn’t completely true when she said it, Emiri’s lingering anxiety had faded enough that it was now, so she just kept her attention on the road until she could see Caed Nua through gaps in the trees. Equal parts relief and excitement welled up in her chest.

_Home. Time for a bath, a nap, and then I’ll see if Steward has anything to tell me._

-o-o-o-

It wasn’t meant to be, apparently. Even as the gates swung closed behind them, and her companions started toward Brighthollow, one of the petitioners in the courtyard tugged on Emiri’s sleeve.

“‘Scuse me, but you wouldn’t happen t’ be the lady of this here place, would ya?” he asked in a thin, cracking voice. “We’ve just been waiting so long...”

The question was one Emiri heard a lot; it was common knowledge Caed Nua’s Lady was ‘blessed by Ondra’, but her adventuring clothes were simple and plain, barely a step up from her slave’s rags. Certainly not what you would expect someone of her new standing to wear. This led to understandable--if amusing--confusion when petitioners caught her before she had a chance to change.

“I am,” she nodded, surveying the man’s ragged clothes. “And I promise I’ll be with all of you as soon as I can.” She glanced at the lengthening shadows and did some quick guesswork in her head. “Which, unfortunately, will probably be in the morning. I’ve had a very long few days, and need some rest before I can hear anyone’s needs. If you talk to one of my guards, I’m sure they can help work out comfortable sleeping arrangements for you.”

The man’s face hardened from groveling peasant to flint-eyed killer in a blink. “Fraid we don’t feel like waitin’, m’lady.” He reached for something under his cloak, but even as the word _ambush!_ formed in Emiri’s mind, an arrow slammed into his shoulder. Itumaak was only a heartbeat behind the arrow, lunging at the man before he had a chance to recover.

As if the man’s words and attempted attack were a signal--which may have been the case--several of the other kith in the courtyard closed in to back him up. Cries from Caed Nua’s guards and her companions filled Emiri’s ears as they all shifted to join the fray.

A human with an estoc charged toward her, fire in his eyes, but was intercepted by one of the guards and a trio of magic projectiles both. Emiri spared a brief moment to send Aloth a grateful smile. He returned it before nodding sharply toward the fight. Knowing he was right about where her attention _should_ be, Emiri hefted her hammer and charged in. She aimed a kick at the leader as he shook free of Itumaak’s teeth, but he caught on just in time to dodge. He raised one hand, bloody and clenched in a death grip around a gnarled wand, and spat a phrase Emiri had heard Hiravias shout countless times. Two large spikes of rock went careening toward where Aloth and Sagani stood, forcing the two of them to scramble out of the way.

Emiri let out an angry cry and swung her hammer backhand into his already injured shoulder. He bellowed in pain and rage and kicked out at her ankles even as he reflexively curled the injury in. She sidestepped and then ducked as a pale elf in tarnished plate armor took a swing at her. It was enough for the elf to miss, but Emiri did stumble as a result. In that brief opening, the elf rested a hand on the druid’s shoulder and murmured something as she helped him to his feet. Emiri only let them get halfway there before she lashed out with mind blades at the elf and forced the druid to recall the agony that had consumed his arm just a few seconds prior. This time they both crumpled.

Satisfied to leave them incapacitated but alive, Emiri took a moment to check on her friends and guards, see who needed help. Edér and Pallegina looked to be holding their own against a grimoire-wielding dwarf, even though she’d summoned a phantasmal copy of herself. Aloth and Sagani had both sought at least partial cover and were helping the guards--and Itumaak--take down a pair of fighters-

The sharp crack of a rifle interrupted her head count. Emiri instinctively swiveled just in time to watch the elven paladin drop, a hole punched through the center of her breastplate. The druid was still crumpled, unconscious--or close to it--from the pain, so she continued her spin until she was facing the direction the shot came from. She flashed Kana a smile, relieved he was hanging _way_ back with his bad leg, and playfully saluted him with her dagger in gratitude.

Her relief at him being so far back was short-lived, however. Even as Kana flashed her a toothy grin in return and lowered his rifle to reload it, Emiri caught a glimmer of movement in the shadows behind him. A cloaked and hooded figure was rapidly skulking closer, attention fully on Kana as the day’s fading light glinted off their weapons.

She panicked. Just a little. No one was close enough to really help, except Aloth or Sagani, and there was an adra pillar blocking them. And the figure was too close for Kana to get away, not limping like he was. So Emiri did the only thing she could think of in the heat of the moment. Two instinctive steps closer, even though she knew she couldn’t reach them, and her thoughts flared out toward the shadowy figure as they crouched for the final lunge.

_**No** , _she pressed fiercely into their mind. _You don’t want to hurt_ him, _you’re on the same side. You want to protect him. From **them**._

The rogue froze, straightened, and then with silent speed moved toward toward the druid, who had finally made it to his feet and was glaring daggers at Emiri. He was taken completely off-guard by the attack from one of his own, and barely got off the spell he’d been summoning before twin blades put an end to him for good.

Unfortunately, it was a good last spell, rocky spires erupted from a large section of the ground, knocking Emiri and most of the guards off their feet. The only benefit was, in his haste, he hasn’t aimed perfectly and knocked down one of his own fighters as well. By the time Emiri made it back to her feet, even more sore than she’d been before, the fight was over. Edér had cut down the wizard, and Sagani and Pallegina finished off the fighters.

The only one left was the rogue, standing in a relaxed and decidedly non-hostile stance, hood fallen back. She didn’t even react as the uninjured guards circled around her, weapons leveled. Emiri approached slowly, mostly due to how _tired_ she was.

Their prisoner didn’t move, didn’t even visibly react to the murmuring of the surrounding guards. Of course, she was hard to read, her face mostly obscured by the purplish-grey growths covering from her nose back up toward the crown of her head. Someone had clearly--and clumsily--sawn off the upper, horned part of the growths at some point. Emiri wondered if the woman had done it herself.

Tired and adrenaline-fueled as she was, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for their prisoner. _Death godlike..._

The woman flinched and swiveled to look at Emiri.

_She heard that,_ Emiri realized, wishing desperately she could see the woman’s face. _Is she... Are you still charmed?_

“Yes,” the rogue replied out loud, causing the guards to tighten their grip on their weapons and Emiri’s companions to look at her questioningly as they approached.

Edér was the one to ask. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, she’s still charmed,” Emiri said wearily. “I’ve never done that before, but she was sneaking up on Kana with no one else around, so I panicked, and I guess I did it wrong?”

“What’re you gonna do with her?” Sagani asked, flexing one wrist idly.

That was the big question, the important one, and she was too tired to deal with it now. “For the night, she can go in the dungeon. Whichever cell’s in the best shape. Maybe the charm’ll wear off by morning and I can question her then. Figure out what to do.” She looked at the woman and gestured to the guards.  “Go with them and don’t make trouble.”

A single nod, and she offered no resistance when one of the guards approached and took her daggers.

With that handled, for now, at least, Emiri delegated some of the guards to help their injured fellows to the infirmary, and another to round up some help and dispose of the bodies. By that point she was in full on adrenaline letdown, her limbs starting to feel very much like jelly. _Alright, time for bed..._ She stumbled as she started toward Brighthollow, exhaustion settling around her in a heavy cloak.

Kana caught her arm, steadying her. “Allow me.”

“Thank you, but I’m alright,” Emiri assured him, feeling her face warm. “Just extremely tired. As I suspect we all are. Thanks for the save, by the way. That was a good shot.”

Kana smiled bashfully, hand still on her arm to offer support. “It was as much luck as skill, if not more. And you returned the favor with our new friend there. Thank _you_ for that.”

“You’re welcome,” she said around a yawn. “I just hope whatever I did to charm her wears off. Preferably sooner.” She snorted a quiet laugh as they mounted the steps towards the bedrooms. “Ideally by morning. Even if it means she’s not in the mood to talk to me.”

Kana raised an eyebrow at that, but they’d reached the top of the steps and so went their separate ways with little more than mumbled good nights. Emiri was so tired she actually slept though the night without interruption for the first time in weeks.

-o-o-o-

The sun was well on its way up when Emiri finally woke, even if it wasn’t the cause. That honor went to the face bath she was currently getting from Lottie. She pulled herself awake with a laugh, scratching the dog between her ears. “Okay, okay, I get the message.” 

Lottie yipped and hopped up on the bed for more attention, which Emiri gave her as she yawned and blinked through the last vestiges of sleep.

And came face to face with the glaring thought that there was a death godlike in her dungeon she needed to talk to. Emiri fell back against her pillows with a groan. Gods, was it going to be hard to stay fair with someone who’d tried to hurt _Kana_. At the same time, she still felt slightly guilty for charming the woman. It was a mess on multiple levels.

_Better to get it over with,_ she finally told herself, and climbed out of bed with a huff. Lottie curled up in the warm spot and watched Emiri as she changed into fresh clothes and carefully raked her fingers through her hair so it was less sleep-tousled.

Ready as she was going to be in that respect, Emiri ruffled Lottie’s ears one last time and headed downstairs. She needed food or she was going to be grouchy.

“Mornin’, ‘Miri,” Sagani greeted her as she wanered into the kitchen. “Sleep well?”

“Better than I have in a long time, actually,” Emiri said with a smile. “Mind-numbing exhaustion’ll do that.”

Sagani laughed and ate another piece of the bacon piled on her plate. “Got that right. I don’t think any of us expected a fight like that _here_.”

“Speaking of,” Emiri began as she sat down across the table from the dwarf.  “That would’ve gone a whole lot different if you hadn’t gotten in the first shot. So thanks for saving my neck.”

“Not a problem,” Sagani waved her off with another piece of bacon. “Call it a gut feeling or motherly instinct, or whatever the hel you want, something seemed off about all of them, so I kept half an eye on you. Glad I did.”

“Me, too,” Emiri laughed. She quickly pulled together a plate. “D’you know if anyone’s fed our, uh, guest?”

“No idea, sorry.” Sagani shook her head.

“I’ll ask when I get down there, then. If they haven’t, she can have this and I’ll get more when I’m done talking to her.”

“You’re bein’ awful charitable to someone who tried to kill one of us,” Sagani commented, with a significant look that made it abundantly clear she was extra surprised considering _which one_ the woman had been after.

Emiri’s face heated. “I would like to know what they wanted and why, and treating her with basic decency seems the best way to do that.”

“Fair,” Sagani conceded. “I’ll let you take care of that, then.”

Emiri nodded. “See you in a bit.” She picked up the plate and headed for the dungeons.

-o-o-o-

It was far better lit than the last time she’d been down here; torches and lanterns alike throwing long flickering shadows across the floor. Most of the cells had been repaired and cleaned, and she was glad to see her instructions had been followed. The lone survivor from last night was in the largest, cleanest functional cell.

“Was she any trouble?” Emiri asked the nearest guard in an undertone.

“No, my lady,” he replied. “She paced for a couple hours, then laid down and went to sleep.”

“Very good.” Emiri approached the cell. The woman sat on her bed, staring at her hands and not acknowledging her surroundings. “Have you eaten yet?” she asked without preamble when she reached the door.

The woman jolted and swiveled to face her, head cocked in suspicion or curiosity, Emiri couldn’t tell. “...No.”

“You want mine?” She held up the plate. “I can always get more.”

There was definite suspicion in the rogue’s posture now. “...We can share.”

_She thinks it’s poisoned_ , Emiri realized, _that I’m trying to kill her._ It made sense; death godlike were extremely reviled pretty much everywhere. Someone had probably tried it at some point.  “Sure”. She sat down cross-legged outside the cell. “You have a name?”

The woman snorted as she cautiously moved closer. “Who doesn’t?”

“Slaves, sometimes,” Emiri replied with a tight smile as she offered the plate.  “But what’s yours, then?”

“Veil.” She took a piece of toast and half the bacon before gesturing mockingly toward her face. “For obvious reasons. My turn to ask a question?”

“Not really how this works, but sure.” Emiri took a bite of the remaining toast.

“What are you trying to do? You take over my damn head, so I kill the people I’m workin’ with, throw me in a jail cell, but you’re treating me decent? What is this, godlike solidarity?”

Emiri decided to ignore the mocking tone. “In part. I might not know exactly how life’s treated you, but I can make a pretty good guess.  And I’ll take this opportunity to remind you I just said to _protect_ my friend, not _kill_ yours.”

Veil shifted, looking down at the food she held. “Wouldn’t call ‘em friends...”

“Then what would you call them?” Emiri probed. She had a shadow of a guess, but wanted to see what the other woman said.

“The only people who didn’t try to kill me on fuckin’ sight,” Veil said, voice still hard. “But that was just ‘cause they could use me and knew I didn’t really have any other options if I didn’t want to starve. They weren’t cruel, but it wasn’t like we were close.”

“Ah. So what exactly were the lot of you trying to achieve?” Emiri picked up a piece of bacon, broke it in half, and ate it as slowly as her growling stomach would allow.

“Garrett, our leader, heard this place had been cleared out and partially fixed up. He was tired of shacking up in abandoned barns and shit inns, so he proposed we... ‘relieve Caed Nua’s Lady of her burdensome command’,” Veil scoffed. “He always found a way to make himself sound _noble_. When I raised concerns, like _how_ , and what he planned to do after acquiring a castle, they all brushed me off. As usual. Ironic that they’re all dead and I ain’t.” She bit into the toast, smirking. After chewing and swallowing, she cocked her head. “Why ain’t I, come to think of it?”

“You’re the only one who didn’t fight to the death,” Emiri replied. “I would have preferred they  surrender so we didn’t have to kill any of your... comrades?”

“Masters,” Veil muttered, her tone making Emiri think the woman had rolled her eyes. “And the only reason I _didn’t_ is that charm thing you did to me.”

Emiri grimaced. “Sorry about that...”

Veil made a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat and almost dropped her food. “Who the fuck apologizing for defending a friend?!”

“Someone who regrets the way they went about doing it,” Emiri said with a sigh. “I’ve never charmed anyone before, and that’s been by choice, not because I can’t.” Part of her couldn’t believe she was about to share this with a prisoner when she hadn’t told any of her friends, even Aloth. “I grew up a slave, and I... consequently I _really_ don’t like depriving people of their will. I have plenty of other abilities I can and will use to end a fight. But taking away their choice, _making_ them do things, makes me really uncomfortable.”

“That makes sense,” Veil said around a mouthful of toast. “Must’ve really cared about that friend, huh?”

Emiri almost laughed. _That’s one word for it..._  “I care about all my friends. I”d’ve done it for any of them.”

“Mm.” Veil didn’t comment further. “So, what’re you planning to do with me?”

_I’m not sure._  “For now, you’re staying in there. You _did_ help attack my keep and try to kill one of my friends.”

“If it changes anything, I was only planning to incapacitate, not kill,” Veil interjected. “Not that you’ll believe that...”

“It is a bit of a stretch, considering,” Emiri agreed. She was generally a forgiving person, but skepticism had its place as well. “Even if it’s true, there still need to be consequences for attacking in the first place.” She nibbled her lip in thought.  “You’re going to spend a few months in there, but I’ll make sure you’re treated well. At the end of that time, well, we’ll see.”

“Better than I’d get anywhere else.” Veil cocked her head, torchlight shadows playing across her face. “Why be so nice?”

Emiri shrugged and got to her feet, nudging the plate closer. “B’cause I’ve seen firsthand that if you treat kith like animals, that’s how they start acting. And I know how far kindness can go.” She rubbed her wrist. “Maybe it won’t make a difference, but I don’t lose anything by treating you with basic decency.”

“That’ll be a first,” Veil snorted. “But thanks for that, I guess.”

Emiri smiled. “You’re welcome.” She headed back upstairs, hoping she’d made the right call. But she could worry about that later. 

Right now, she was _starving_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: Veil actually is a death godlike rogue I hired in Emiri’s game, who had a penchant for killing stuff that went after Kana. Voila, fic inspiration.


End file.
